Reviewed by USGSPapua New Guinea59y ago
M7.3 earthquake 192 km ESE of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea
Monday, December 25, 1967, 01:23:34 UTC · 5.267°S, 153.738°E
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck 192 km ESE of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea on Monday, December 25, 1967, 01:23:34 UTC, at a depth of 53.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.3 on October 10, 1955.
- Magnitude
- 7.3
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 53 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- V
- Moderate (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 200 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
1.2 megatons of TNT
That is about 80 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 2,541 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
37 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the North Bismarck and South Bismarck plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
53 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 200 km
USGS lists 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.9 on January 2, 1968. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 239 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.21919 Papua New Guinea EarthquakeMay 6, 1919 · 53 km N of this epicenter
- 8.060 km SE of Kokopo, Papua New GuineaJanuary 1, 1916 · 136 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.885 km S of Panguna, Papua New GuineaJanuary 30, 1939 · 272 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.874 km SSW of Kokopo, Papua New GuineaFebruary 2, 1920 · 194 km W of this epicenter
- 7.7152 km SE of Kokopo, Papua New GuineaSeptember 29, 1946 · 45 km W of this epicenter
- 7.467 km E of Kokopo, Papua New GuineaApril 23, 1953 · 133 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.497 km SW of Rabaul, Papua New GuineaMay 30, 1913 · 252 km W of this epicenter
- 7.3102 km SE of Kokopo, Papua New GuineaOctober 10, 1955 · 100 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 22 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 517 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1937
Keravia, Rabaul, Kokopo
28 May 1937 · 203 km away · intensity VIII
507 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1939M7.7
Bougainville Island
30 Jan 1939 · 272 km away
5 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1941M7.4
Bismarck Sea
13 Jan 1941 · 221 km away
4 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1878
Bismarck Sea
4 Feb 1878 · 200 km away
1 deathtsunami
- 1967M6.4
Bismarck Sea
13 Aug 1967 · 168 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1919M8.2
Solomon Islands
6 May 1919 · 53 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.